


Unaware

by alwayssunnyprompts



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Episode: s10e06 The Gang Misses the Boat, F/M, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 01:05:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11002746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwayssunnyprompts/pseuds/alwayssunnyprompts
Summary: "The gang breaking up for a few days is expected. She’s reached her breaking point, they all have."Inevitable situations have unexpected outcomes.





	Unaware

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

_“Goddamnit.”_

She’s fourteen and tomorrow is the first day of freshman year. She’s practicing her makeup, trying to decide which colors will go best with her outfit. The blending is a little messy and she isn’t sure if she’ll actually have time to do her makeup in the morning, but at the very least it’s calming her down. She’s almost optimistic about this new chapter in her life. Almost. The major downside is that she has to go to school with Dennis. She rolls her eyes at the thought. He’s so stupid. He’d come into her room earlier when he thought she wasn’t there–she was actually in her closet, trying to pick out an outfit–and taken some of her makeup, pausing for a couple minutes in front of her mirror to put some mascara on. She almost stopped him, but something in her brain told her not to. She had a lot, she wouldn’t really miss it. She could buy more. Or steal more, from the store or from her mother. 

She steps back, taking her appearance in. Her outfit looks okay. Not perfect, but good enough that she knows there will be someone looking worse. Her makeup is bold and dark, and she hopes that it’s enough to distract from her goddamn back brace. 

_Language, Deandra!_ She can hear her mother’s voice in her head.

“Fuck you,” she mutters. 

She sits there for a while, just thinking. Feels a strange sense of reassurance wash over her, like she’s sure she’ll be okay because she has someone watching out for her. Which is ridiculous, because nobody watches out for her. And she likes it that way.

* * *

 

When she and Dennis first meet Ronnie the Rat they’re sophomores. Dennis wants to get in with the cool crowd and thinks the way to do it is by smoking weed. 

He makes her go with him the first time he buys it as his "bodyguard,” because her “monstrous height and terrifying back brace will intimidate them into not trying anything.”

She just plays along because she’s bored and she can tell that he’s nervous. They arrive under the bleachers at 3:30 sharp, and Ronnie is already waiting. There’s another kid with him. Dee has to stifle a snort. If this kid is supposed to be some sort of muscle, she might just piss herself with laughter. He’s tiny. He looks like he’s barely 12, even though he has to be at least 14. His clothes are dirty and he looks like a hot mess. She accidentally locks eyes with him as she’s observing, her cheeks immediately flushing red at being caught. She forces her gaze to the sun-dried grass under her feet. He may be a mess but his eyes are nice. Green and bright and full of something a little intense. She thinks she might see freckles under the dirt on his face.

She feels a burst of nervous warmth in her chest. Shit. Where the hell did that come from? She looks back but the kid is deep in negotiations with Ronnie and Dennis. 

* * *

 

At almost 40 years old, she’s yet to have a lasting relationship. She doesn’t pay much attention to men in general, gave up trying to find her “person” a long time ago. And most days, she’s okay with it. She thinks that Dennis and Mac are probably meant for each other. They’re so deep in their own bullshit that neither of them can see how crazy about each other they are. They probably don’t even notice the emotional overlap anymore, they’re just used to it now. 

They’re one unit.

She’s not lonely. She isn’t. She has a good time with the guys when they’re not setting her on fire or crashing her car or insulting her to the point where almost considers killing herself. But it’s not that big a deal. She can take insults. She just wishes that someone would appreciate her. Just once. Not anything big, just a genuine compliment for once. Not one that she has to analyze, not some sort of weird backwards crack about her hands being normal-sized. 

The gang breaking up for a few days is expected. She’s reached her breaking point, they all have.

What she doesn’t expect is Charlie. 

They’ve always had an okay relationship. They work well together. She likes helping him reach things that he’s too short to, or collaborating on music or acting, or smoking. They’re alike in that way. When they’re alone, she feels a sense of…calm. She feels her brain rushing with ideas she’s never even dreamed of. It’s almost like being high. But like, a contact high, where she’s just high enough off him to feel calm and elated all at once. 

Then they kiss. And for a moment, it’s like time is stopping, because she’s feeling her heart beating out of her chest and she’s trembling but in a good way and then he’s trembling too and she doesn’t feel like one person anymore.

When they pull apart the nervousness is infecting them both, their eyes meet and holy shit. His are bright and green and somehow still young and full of cautious hope. And she realizes she’s absolutely fucked because of course it’s him. It’s been him since they met under the bleachers and it’s so messy and awful and wonderful and beautiful.

 She smiles and he does too. She can see that tears are in his eyes, but she’s never been able to cry on command, even under the circumstances. She pulls him into another kiss, gentle this time. Feels his confusion and fear and happiness. They fall asleep on her tiny couch a few hours later, her spread-eagled on her back and him cuddled against her side like he’s a goddamn cat or something. She thinks maybe they should tell the gang. But she decides that they can keep this for themselves, treasure it for a while.

Just this once. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to submit requests at alwayssunnyprompts.tumblr.com


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